Rich Paul Says LeBron is Generating Interest from Contenders. Why That's Good for the Lakers

Locked On Lakers - Daily Podcast On The Los Angeles Lakers · May 19, 2026 · 19m

The arc of LeBron James with the Lakers over the last nine months or so has been quite interesting, from the moment he picked up his option but neither side seemed (at least for the public) to be interested in a contract extension.

There were comments from Rich Paul about monitoring the situation, and then about the supporting cast, and (relative to his standard) poor play from James when he came back from early season injury. But in the end, LeBron made an All-Star team, found a role that seemed to suit him and the team well, and thrived over the second half of the season.

Now it seems like…